Connector.



S. ANTHONY.

CONNECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED sEPT.24. 1913.

1,6, 1 1 a Patented May 15, 191?.

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' I mw W? /l /4 g y Ac Attvs STANLEY ANTHONY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1917.

Application filed September 2!, 1913. Serial No. 791,669.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STANLEY ANTHONY, citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Connectors, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to connecting devices for connecting the ends of electrical conductors either singly or in pairs and is particularly adapted to be used where it is desired to connect conductors in such a way that they may be readily disconnected.

The invention has for an object to provide a device of this type, in which the parts when'connected'will be locked together in such a manner that they can not be accidentally disconnected by a pull upon one of the conductors or otherwise, and in which the elements when separated will present no delicate projecting parts which are likely to be caught on any object and bent out of shape. The invention also has for its object to improve connectors in various ways, all as will be more fully hereinafter described and then pointed out in the followinggclaims.

eferring to the drawing in which one embodiment of my invention is illustrated-- Figure 1 shows two pairs of conductors connected by my improved device;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line a'a Fig. 1, showing the socket member;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line aa; Fig, 1, showing the plug member;

Fig. 4 is a section'on the line bb Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 0-0 Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on the line aa Fig. 1, showing the plug and socket members connected together, and

Fig. 7 is an end view of the plug member.

The device comprises a plug terminal member and a socket terminal member hav ing cooperating contacts or terminals and provided with a novel means for locking them together. 1 indicates the plug member and 2 the socket member. Each is herein shown as substantially cylindrical in form and is made, of hard rubber or some other insulating material and may be of any suitable shape or form, those herein shown being cylindrical. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the device is adapted to connect a pair of conductors, and the plug member is provided with two plugs 5 and 6, each having a. split plug termlnal 10 which projects beyond the plug member, sald plugs 5 and 6 being received in holes 3 and 4 in the plug member. The socket member is provided with sockets 17 to receive the plug terminals 10, said sockets being formed in members 13 which are received in apertures 11 formed in the socket terminal 2. The plug members 5 and 6 and also the members 13 are provided at their outer ends with shouldered recesses 7 and 15, respectively, in which the conductors 40 are received, said conductors being secured in place by any suitable means, such as a set-screw 9.

The previously described parts are of common and well known construction and form no part of my present invention.

In accordance with my present invention I provide means forholding the plug and socket members together, which consists of' interlocking latch members, those on one part being spring pressed. I shall refer to the connecting means on the plug member as spring catches and the connecting means on the socket member as hooks. These terms are arbitrary and not intended to particularly describe the shapes of these elements. Obviously the spring catches or movable elements may be connected to either part, or the elements on both plug and socket members may be movable. I prefer, however, to provide the spring pressed parts on the plug member, as this is the member which is usually removed and is more likely to be damaged, if there are small projecting parts.

n the present embodiment of the invention the spring catches are shown generally at 20 and each comprises a resilient body or shank which overlies the side of the plug terminal member land has its end 61 bent inwardly and provided with an aperture 24 to receive a hook member 23 that is anchored in and projects from the face 62 of the socket terminal member 2. These spring catches 20 may be secured to the plug member 1 in any approved way. One convenient way is that herein shown wherein the outer end of each spring catch is bent inwardly to overlie the outer end of the plug memher 1 and is secured to said plug member by means of a screw 21.

The parts normally are so disposed that when the plug terminals 10 are entered into the sockets 17 the hooks 23 will. enter the apertures 24 and as this occurs the maimed surface 64 of the hooks engage the walls of the apertures and force the spring catches laterally to permit the hooks to fully enter the apertures as the faces 19 and 62 are brought into engagement. When the hooks have thus fully entered the apertures 24 the resiliency of the spring catches 20 causes the ends 61 thereof to engage the underside of the hooks thus positively locking the two terminal members 1 and 2 together.-

In order to provide for readily unlocking these members I propose to arrange the spring catches 20 so that each presents a portion that is normally extended beyond the wall of the plug member 1, and to so arrange the hooks 23 that when these projecting portions of the spring catches are pressed down the ends 61 of said catches will be disengaged from the hooks.

In the present embodiment of my invention the hooks 23 are directed inwardly toward each other and are diametrically arranged. The spring catches 20 are situated outside of the periphery of the plug 1 so that a person taking hold of the plug member may readily apply his thumb and finger to the spring catches 20 and press them inwardly to disengage them from the hooks 23.

In a device of this nature it is very desirable that the delicate parts such for instance as the spring catches should be so constructed that they will not present any exposed projections which are liable to' be caught on objects as the device is handled and thus bent out of shape. In the present invention I propose to protect the spring catches 20 by providing the end 19 of the plug member 1 with recesses 18 in whlch the ends 61 of the spring catches are received and I have also shown the. plug member 1 as provided with further recesses 25 situated to receive the ends of the hooks 23 when the terminal members are coupled together. The Walls of the recess 18 serve to protect the ends of the spring catches and when the plug member 1 is separated from the socket member 2, said plug member presents no projecting parts of a delicate nature that can be injured or bent out of shape by being caught on any object.

In order to protect the hooks 23 I propose to make the socket 2 with a curb or flange 67 which projects from the face 62 of said socket member a distance substantially equal to the amount that the hooks 23 project from said face. This curb or flange 67 will be provided with openings 68 in which the spring catches 20 operate.

In practice when it is desired to disconnect the plug and socket members the socket member will be taken in one hand and the plug member in the other, the plug member separated by one movement, it being unncc essary to make an extra motion to disconnect the locking means. When the parts are connected one motion thrusting the parts togetheris sufficient to both connect the contact elements and lock the parts together. I find this and other features to be of decided advantage over several types of connectors now in use.

I have illustrated a selected embodiment of my invention but without intending to indicate that my invention is limited to such form.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A connector for electrically and mechanically connecting conductors comprising two terminal members, each having a contact element adapted to engage that of the other member, a locking element extending from the end of one member and located entirely within'the peripheral outline thereof, a yieldable coiiperating locking element carried by the other member and positioned to engage automatically with the first-named locking element when the two terminal members are brought into operative position relative to each other, said locking elements being separate from the contact element and the engaging portions thereof being shaped to lock the terminal members together positively.

2. A connector for electrically and mechanically connecting conductors comprising two terminal members, each having a contact element adapted to have electrical contact with that of the other member, a hook-shaped locking member extending from the end of one terminal member, the other terminal member having a recess in its end in which the hook is received when the two members are in their operative position, and a yieldable catch carried by the recessed terminal member and positioned to engage automatically with the hook when the two terminal members are brought into their operative position thereby to lock said members together positively, said hook and catch being separate from the contact elements.

3. A connector for electrically and mechanically connecting pairs of conductors comprising two terminal members, each having a contact element adapted to have electrical contact with that of the other member, one of said members having a pair of recesses in its mating end, a pair of spring catches whose ends terminate in said recesses whereby said ends are protected, and hook elements projecting from the other member and positioned to enter said recesses thrust and provided with plug and engage said spring catches, whereby the members having a pair of recesses in its mating end, a pair of spring catches whose ends terminate in said recesses whereby said ends are protected, each spring catch having a part extending beyond the side of the terminal member, and hook elements projecting from the other member and positioned to enter said recesses and engage sa d spring catches whereby the members Wlll be locked together, but may be readlly released by pressing upon the laterally extending parts of the spring catches 5. In a device of the class described, the combination with plug and socket members shaped to be connected together by a direct and socket terminals, respectively, one 0 said members having a recess, ahook element secured to the other member in a position to project into the recess when the terminal members are connected, and a spring catch carried by the recessed member and having a hook-engaging portion which occupies said recess and is engaged by the hook when the two terminal members are connected together, thereby positively locking said terminal members together, said hook and hook-engaging portions being separate from the plug and socket terminals.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with plug and socket members shaped to be connected together by a direct thrust and having plug and socket terminals, respectively, one of said members having a recess, of a hook element secured to the other vmember in a position to project into the recess when the two members are connected together, a spring catch secured to the recessed member and having a hookengaging portion which occupies said recess and 1s engaged by the hook when the two terminal members are connected together and also a portion which normally rojects beyond the side of the terminal mem er, the hook of said hook element facing inwardly whereby pressure applied against said projecting portion will disconnect the spring catch and hook element.

7. A connector for electrically and mechanically connecting pairs of conductors comprising plug and socket members each having a pair of contact elements adapted to be connected by a direct thrust, one of said members having a pair of recesses in other member and positioned to enter said recesses and to be interlocked with said catches as the two terminal members are brought into operative position relative to each other, the spring catches having accessible portions to which pressure may be applied to release them from the hooks.

8. A connector for electrically and mechanically connecting pairs of conductors comprising vplug and socket members, each having a pair of contact elements adapted to be connected by a direct thrust, one of said members havi a pair of recesses in its mating, end, a pair of insulated spring catches secured to the last mentioned member, and extending longitudinally along the sides thereof in a position to be conveniently manipulated, and projecting into said recesses whereby said ends are protected, and insulated hook elements projecting from the other member and positioned to enter said recesses and to be interlocked with said spring catches by a direct thrust, whereby the members when connected together by a direct thrust will be positively locked'together, but may be released by pressing upon the spring catches.

10. In a device of the class described two I terminal members having'engagin contacts, hook members separate from sait l contacts and extending from the end of one terminal member and spring catches carried by the other terminal member and situated to engage the hooks when the two terminal members are in operative position each of said spring catches having a portion which overlies the side of said other terminal member and is accessible to be pressed inwardly thereby to disconnect it from its hook.

11. A connector for electrically and mechanically connecting conductors comprising two terminal members, each having a contact element adapted to engage that of the other member, a locking element extending from the end of one member and located entirel within the peripheral outline thereof, sai locking element bein ,separate from the contact elements, a yielda 1e cooperating locking element carried by the other member and positioned to engage automatically with the first-named locking member when the two terminal members are brought into op- In testimony whereof, I have signed my 10 erative position relative to each other, said name to this specification, in the presence of yieldable locking element being disengagetwo subscribing witnesses. able from the other locking element by in- 5 ward movement and having a portion ex- STANLEY ANTHONY. tending beyond the side of the connector and accessible to be forced inwardl thereby Witnesses: to efi'ect a disengagement of said locking LOUIS C. SMITH, member. THOMAS J. DRUMMOND. 

